Many conventional methods for cleaning polluted water rely on chemical reactions analogous to the action of bleach. Among these, Fenton-like processes are gaining prominence due to their effectiveness in breaking down harmful pollutants. Cobalt plays a crucial role in these reactions, acting as a catalyst to drive the cleaning process. However, cobalt's activity can diminish over time, requiring constant "re-fueling" to sustain its cleaning power. Unfortunately, this "re-fueling" process is often a bottleneck, limiting the overall speed of water purification.
Inspired by the drag-reducing adaptations of fish scales, we developed a novel strategy harnessing mechanical stimuli to generate an "internal force" within a cobalt-containing ferroelectric material. This "internal force" functions as a miniature, integrated power source, continuously regenerating the highly active, high-spin state of cobalt – effectively "re-energizing" the catalyst. Leveraging this internal force to precisely regulate the electronic configuration of cobalt ions, we achieve the rapid production of potent cleaning agents, enabling complete removal of the model pollutant Rhodamine B within a mere 2.5 minutes.
This research opens up exciting new possibilities for creating more sustainable and economical water treatment systems. This innovative approach, inspired by the natural world, could revolutionize the design of next-generation "green" cleaning technologies. The work titled “Ultrafast Piezocatalytic Organic Pollutant Degradation Enabled by Dynamic Spin State Regulation of Cobalt in Nano-Ferroelectrics” was published on Advanced Powder Materials (available online on Jun. 14, 2025).
DOI：https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmate.2025.100307